The present invention is directed to helmets and to an associated method for manufacturing the helmets.
The need for more protective helmets has been well documented. The frequent concussions encountered by football players have led to serious medical issues, have been the subject of numerous articles, and have given rise to lawsuits from injured players, a decline in television viewership, and a decline in participation at the youth level. Until recently, almost all helmets consisted of an exterior hard shell with softer padding attached to the inner surface of the shell. The concussion epidemic has led to the introduction of improved helmets that replace the conventional inner padding with more energy dissipating materials and constructions, but, judging from the fact that concussions continue to frequently occur in football and other sports, there is obviously much room for improvement.
The prior art consists of the use of more energy absorbing padding (e.g., V. Bologna et al, No. 61/763,802), the use of inflated air containers to absorb some of the impact energy (e.g., C. Alexander et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,073,271), the use of fluid cells to absorb some of the impact energy (e.g., W. Johnson, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2014/0000011), the use of a cushioning layer that is partially rotatable under the outer shell (e.g., J. Marzec et al, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2013/0000015), and the incorporation of filaments that absorb some of the impact energy by deforming (e.g., S. Browd et al, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0255900). Laboratory evaluations of these and other attempts to address the concussion issues have, however, shown that none of these innovations provide a significant increase in player protection.